Friday, January 07, 2011

I've literally been swamped with the site this week as events in A2 have unfolded. And while on one hand times like this are why you run a Michigan-centric college football blog, on the other hand it makes it very hard to, you know, have a life. In addition, my esteemed cohort Andy is traveling for work this week which limits our Photoshop capabilities (and I still can't talk that rat bastard Benny out of retirement!).

Thankfully, you, the MZone reader, have really helped out. From DC dropping everything in the middle of his work day to put together some emergency 'Shops, to Mikoyan 'Shopping DC's Dewey-beats-Truman 'Shop to create something new and his Coaching Coup D'Etat post, to all the submissions like the ones below, it helps keep the site chugging along when the workload gets tough. So thanks, it's much appreciated.

Please know that shear volume - and that, you know, having a life thing - prevent me from responding to each and every email or using each submission. But they all get read.

MZone reader IC sends us this video of then-Ball-State-now-SDSU-potential-Michigan head football coach Brody Hoke* reading the Top Ten List on The Late Show in 2008.

Why was Brady Hoke on the big CBS late night show? No, Brad Pitt didn't cancel at the last minute and Hoke was the only person they could get after their first 86 choices passed. Rather, host David Letterman is a Ball State alum and Hoke had just led them to a 12-0 regular season.

SEPARATED AT BIRTH?

Keith and the fine folks at Mustaches 4 Michigan note the resemblance between potential Michigan head coach Brady Hoke* and his finger gun, and the Penn brother who's not friends with Hugo Chavez and Penn's prop gun. Either that or this is a still from Hoke's long lost TRUE ROMANCE audition.

You be the judge.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

MZone reader Scott sends us this visual interpretation of the week that's been in A2.

If Herbie says it, you can almost guarantee it ain't gonna happen.

I, State Your Blog

Finally, in a real scoop for the MZone, Phil obtained a partial transcript of Dave Brandon's 15+ hour performance review meeting(s) with Rich Rod this week.

Dave Brandon: Rich, what is the worst Michigan football blog on the Internet?

RR: Well that would be hard to say, sir. They're each outstanding in their own way.

Dave : Cut the horseshit, coach. I've got their tweets right here. Who photoshopped black smoke coming out of Schembechler Hall? Who keeps putting up Jim Harbaugh pictures? Every Halloween, they laugh at your defensive scheme. Every spring, they ridicule your recruiting record. And now, the final straw is the 3 year long “Evaluation” satire.

RR: You're talking about MZone, sir.

DB: Of course I'm talking about MZone, you TWERP!

"I want the MZone put on double secret probation!"

* I swear I did not put up this video along with the phrase "potential Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke" x2 simply to cause our friend Brian at MGoBlog or our readers such as SiC to break out in a cold sweat, smash their computer screens and/or take hostages.

20 comments:

Time to check Schembechler Hall for the Lollipops and Balloons streaming from the chimney. The combination of one of the most stressful weeks of being a Michigan Fan, a double ear ache-sore throat-head about to azzplode cold has transported me to an alternate universe where:

Jim Harbaugh is announced as the HC of the Woverines!

It struck me as strange during the DB presser that he would advertise to the world and all of the soon to be candidates that Michigan needed to pay top dollar for their next coach. I tried to imagine why a CEO would publicly leave the impression that his organization had been low balling offers in the past and that those days were over. Why would you do this? Well I conclude that you do that when you are "priming the pump" for what you know is going to be an offer that must be sold to your board. In this case DB was sending Mary Sue and the regents a message; call it just a little warning shot across the bow.

It also struck me as more than a little strange that Michigan's biggest benefactor and an alum jumps in, in an apparent attempt to steal away the one guy the fans believe might be able to heal the rift between the RR koolaid gang and the Fire RR now crowd and return winning to the Michigan lexicon.

I mean would you want to be the guy at every future meeting of Michigan Alums known for single handedly ruining the chances of JH coming back to AA2?

Then there is this. You played for Bo, you still have passion for beating tOSU, you hate seeing your former team curb-stomped by Sparty and the Suckeyes. I mean lets face it $5.2 $7.1, $7.8; you aren't going hungry in any of these situations. Why not go home to a hero's welcome, coach the winningest college program in the country and if you like you move to the NFL in the future? Hey if you are the guy that puts Michigan back into national relevance, you are still going to get the big money offers.

Your brother is the first NFL coach to make the playoff's in each of his first three seasons, you are going to become the HC of San Francisco or Denver and face rebuilding and the uncertainty of success, history says that the transition from college to NFL HC is unusually difficult and the odds are that you are not going to be successful in your first opportunity.

Or you have the chance to go back home and restore your Alma Mater to its former glory.

The only downside is that going home means Herbie had it right for once.

OK laugh all you want, this is my story and I am sticking to it. After all I won't be more wrong than the "professional sports writers" who have had JH in an agreement with SF, Denver and Miami.

I call Bullshit! The old AD Bill Martin claims RR never had a chance from day one because the Michigan community did not support him. WTF?i.e. LSU is very divided about Les Miles. What happens? Les wins games.i.e. Stanford fills about half their stadium every game. Half the campus doesn’t know they have a football team. What happens? JH and team blows the competition away.i.e. Ohio State’s five starting players could give a rats ass who they play for as long as they are headed for the NFL. What happens? They beat a SEC team for the first time in their bowl history.i.e. Auburn faces national ridicule because of Cam Newton’s personal soap opera and “Father Knows Best.” What happens? They are playing for a National ChampionshipSince when does the opinions of a fan base ruin a coaches chances? His job is to ignore the press, ignore us boorish fans and teach his players to excel and win games. It is X’s and O’s and being a TEAM. To blame the fan base for not giving a coach a chance is so far-fetched that it’s laughable.

Well said. I agree completely. Now I am not objective about RR. I never thought he was all that anyways. Especially considering that Pitt give away game right before he became the "poor much maligned empty shelved coach" of Michigan. Of course Martin would like everyone to think that his last hire was a great choice, had it not been for the bloggers, posters, haters etc.

Does it ever cross anybody's mind that it might have more to do with the fact that his teams were often not ready to play, lacked fundamental skills, e.g. ball security, positional play and the fact that over the last three years the "reverse half time adjustment" policy.

you say: "*I swear I did not put up this video along with the phrase "potential Michigan head football coach Brady Hoke" x2 simply to cause our friend Brian at MGoBlog or our readers such as SiC to break out in a cold sweat, smash their computer screens and/or take hostages."

maybe. maybe you didn't do it w/ the intent to cause such a reaction, but you were willfully indifferent to the fact that such a reaction would take place, anyway.

So ESPN "reported" Les Miles was coming to Michigan 3 years ago and it turns out he was never even contacted...I think Winged Helmet's well written version is as credible as anything you can read/hear from the "news" sources..but I still don't believe JH has any interest in coming here and I'm still in the Koolaide group. It just seems that all the problems that have been identified, could have been fixed without a firing and complete housecleaning. I HOPE to GOD that DB knows what he is doing and didn't just handle this like an underperforming pizza franchise. And I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to be wrong and that JH is our next HC.

It has been one crazy week. I want to publicaly thank Yost for keeping me laughing thru this all. I am headed home and will have the Photoshop engine fired up.

I have all but stopped thinking about JH as a candidate but, as i sit here at the San Fancisco airport ESPN is reporting Harbaugh is deciding between staying at Stanford and the 49ers job. Let's hope the world wide leader will continue their pathetic record of predicting the outcomes of these things.

My uncle in Georgia swaps football thoughts with a friend of his in Louisiana. According to my uncle, this friend (who shall be named "Mr. X") is "an LSU grad, lives in New Orleans, did color commentating for football in the 1970's with Pat Summeral and others. He is a walking encyclopedia on sports, knows college football inside and out. He is allowed on the LSU practice field and usually walks the sidelines of the Super Bowl when it is in New Orleans. He is a student of the game and interesting to talk to."

Here is the e-mail I got today on some speculating about Les Miles and the Michigan job. I thought I would pass some speculation along to you all:

Les plays it close to the vest and said publicly that his whole focus is on preparing for the bowl game. My friend that goes to practice and knows the coaches says that his wife doesn’t want to move the kids, as they are now in high school. Before, she was the one that wanted to move.

My friend heard again that the family has made their decision and it is to stay.

However, LSU plays tonight. Tomorrow, he’s available. If Mich. is paying 4 million like it is rumored, then who knows?

I’m told that Miles has saved his money, made money in outside ventures, and is wealthy. Maybe an extra million allows him to retire or some perk like free tuition.

The coaches that we’d reach out for now have jobs. We’d move to keep Chavis & our chief recruiter. So, we’d be looking for an offensive minded coach. Narrows the field and takes away the 1st two guys we’d call, Pelini and Del Rio.

If he goes, it will really send us spinning and scrambling because the class coming in, although not rated as high as our best in terms of Rivals star power, it is our best in real terms.

On paper, LSU is a top 5 team next year. Lot to walk away from but if any coach marches to his own drummer, it is Les.

Les is either on the football field or with his family. Unlike Saban, who was close to a friend of mine, Les doesn’t have close pals in the community and no reporter, no booster, and possibly no coach, really knows what Les will do.

If I had to bet, I think he’s staying but it isn’t a lock. Although I don’t think one game will make a difference, LSU fans expect to win. If they turn on him like they have in the past, who knows?

The 49'ers are denying the deal, saying they will meet with JH again tomorrow and continue to evaluate his hire. A stream of black smoke is rising from the chimney at Candlestick Park. Herbstreit is reporting Eric Mangini will be the 49'ers new coach. Meanwhile, several 49er players are under investigation for selling old 49er trophies in exchange for tattoos. What goes around comes around.

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